At one time, plastic surgery was reserved for “reconstructive surgery” following some disfiguring trauma. Even slower to develop have been surgeries, prosthetics and devices for enhancing gender related features. The modern prosthetic breast implant was invented in 1961 by plastic surgeons Thomas Cronin and Frank Gerow, and the first augmentation surgery was performed in 1962. By 2013, over a quarter-million American women a year were receiving breast implants.
In a similar manner, a man's identity, and sense of self-esteem and self-image, historically, have been connected to the size of his penis. This can be easily observed in the most ancient artistic pictures and sculptures. Male bravura, identifying themselves by their genitals in war time, is even found in the Bible I Samuel 25:22 & 34; I Kings 14:10, 16:11, etc. And in Ezekiel 23:20, the prophet Ezekiel uses graphic language to depict large male genitals as an object of amour for a lustful woman. From the beginning of our civilization, the human body has been an object of scientific, cultural, spiritual and aesthetic investigations. Ancient Egypt, both Pharaonic and Greco-Roman, has yielded much representational and artistic evidence for the nude human body. In Freud's psychosexual stages of human development, he centered on the sexual pleasure drive and immature (small) penis that he considered as the libidinal object of infantile sexuality in men. Many men are proud or ashamed of their penis-size, shape and performance. There is often anxiety about men's self-confidence due to the size of his penis and functionality. This directly relates to sexual performance, female satisfaction, intimacy and love.
Implants and Constrictive Rings for Erectile Dysfunction
FDA approved medications for erectile dysfunction are commonly known. Rings or constrictive devices to restrict blood flow are taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,306,227 to Obson.
Surgical Implants for Erectile Dysfunction
U.S. Pat. No. 5,062,417 U.S. to Cowen appears to teach a surgical implant device for erectile dysfunction.
Vacuum Pumps for Erectile Dysfunction
The use of vacuum pumps for erectile dysfunction have been taught by U.S. Pat. No. 5,062,417 to Harris, U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,869 to Strom, U.S. Pat. No. 6,179,774 to Landry, U.S. Pat. No. 6,398,720 to Dabal; U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,458,073 and 7,083,570 to Bonthuys; U.S. Pat. No. 6,659,938 to Orlowski; U.S. Pat. No. 6,659,938 to Byon. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,398,720 to Dabal describes a device which is “useful for assisting in causing an erection in human males.” Dabal, col. 1, lines 48-49. “The device is bulb-shaped when in its closed configuration by virtue of its being comprised of two semi-bulbular members. It is the closed configuration that is employed when the device is to be used for assisting in the achievement of an erection. The device has a semi-circular upper portion 30, a flat lower portion 32, and sidewall portions 34A and 34B that are angled inwardly from the semicircular upper portion and which terminate at the flat lower portion.” Dabal, col. 2, lines 30-46. “The lip on the flat lower portion is shaped to fit up against the pubic bone.” Dabal, col. 2, lines 56-57. “One particular advantage of a device according to the invention is that it is contoured to prevent any portion of the skin of the penis from contacting the walls of the device.” (Dabal, col. 4, lines 54-59). Some such devices have achieved FDA approval for erectile dysfunction. However, these patents are directed only to enhancing male erection (and/or volumizing with blood), not actual lengthening of the penis (via traction/stretching).
Pump Enlargement
Vacuum pump applications for penis enlargement have been taught by U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,536,233; 5,676,634; and 5,695,445 to Khouri. It is uncertain, however, that such devices are capable of producing a permanent change in the size of the male penis.
Anatomical Limitations to Penis Size
The suspensory and fundiform ligaments anchor the penis to the pelvic region. Although much of the penis is visible as extending outside the body, a portion of the penis is disposed seven to ten centimeters deep within the male's pubic region. This internal part is anatomically known as the crus of the penis (crus corporis cavernosi penis). It is largely the suspensory and fundiform ligaments that retain a large percent of the penis “inside” of the male body. Accordingly, these ligaments may be responsible for limiting the length of the penis by one to two inches, and sometimes even more.
Surgical Enlargement
In the 1970s, a group of doctors in Kent, England conducted a study on surgical lengthening of the penis using sixty two volunteers with the approval of their wives. Thirty-two underwent surgical lengthening of the penis and thirty-two were used as controls. The technique presumably involved severing of the suspensory and fundiform ligaments. The average increase in penis length was around 2.0-2.5 cm.
Before starting the experiment the wives were asked to give their opinion about the size of their husbands' penises. 87% said they did not understand why their husbands decided to enlarge their penis when its size seemed adequate for its purpose. The same question was asked after the experiment, and this time, 67% of women had changed their opinion. Now, the women attributed superior quality of sexual intercourse to the larger penis, incomparable to the previous performance. They claimed that now they were able to reach a level of pleasure never imagined. Going from −87% to +67% is an impressive statistical change.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,584,757 and 8,291,914 to Kravosky disclose a surgical technique for lengthening the penis, which includes cutting the fundiform and suspensory ligaments. Post-surgery activity requires wearing weights (stretching physiotherapy exercises).
Ligament Stretching
With regard to permanently lengthening the penis without surgery, anyone who has conducted stretching exercises such as “touching their toes” daily will appreciate that ligaments can be stretched over time without surgery. Various attempts have been made to apply this principle to stretching the suspensory and fundiform ligaments of the penis to achieve penal enlargement.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,086,998 and 7,448,989 to Dana teach a traction devices that attaches to the penis through mechanical devices configured to suspend weight from the penis.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,566,299 to Montgomery discloses a “penis enlargement device comprising an end ring 14 and a plurality of stealth rings 42.” (Col. 5, lines 19-20). The end ring has a “curved tapered outer sidewall 18 [which] is advantageous in that allows the wearer of the end ring 14 to be discreet while undergoing a penis enlargement session. This is particularly advantageous if the enlargement session is to be carried out in public.” (Col. 5, line 6-10.) A principle function of Montgomery, therefore, appears to be a traction device which can be concealed under the clothing.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,162,819 to Adams addresses limitations of vacuum traction devices. According to Adams, “Suction devices are also cumbersome and impractical to wear on a prolonged basis, have limited effectiveness, and pose a number of risks. Suction devices produce localized compressive forces that may cause localized ischemia. Vacuum seals with pressure over 20 mm Hg can obstruct capillary flow and inhibit tissue perfusion. Suction devices often come with warnings that the devices should not be used for periods exceeding 20-30 minutes, which may be insufficient to achieve the desired result. Use of suction devices can also result in the thickening of the skin and accumulation of fluid in the superficial layers of the skin and subdermis. The skin of the penis is hypermobile, and only very loosely connected to deeper connective tissues and structures that comprise the erectile tissues of the penis. The skin of the penis can readily separate from the fibrous connective tissue capsule, which encloses the erectile tissue of the penis when externally applied suction forces are applied to the penis. Also, any suction forces applied to the penis has a proportionately larger effect on the skin, and the forces on the deeper structures diminish dramatically. The increase in the surface area of the skin causes the suction forces to be applied mainly to the skin, not to the erectile tissue and the surrounding capsule of the cavernosal tissue. As a result, the skin can be thickened as fluid is extravasated and there is typically no, or only a limited enlargement, of the underlying erectile tissues of the penis. Use of suction devices may also cause the separation of the skin from the sub-dermis and the formation of seromas or blisters on the penis. The application of suction devices to the penis may also cause the extravasation of red blood cells out of the vascular spaces and into the extracellular compartments. If vacuum devices are applied for extended periods of time, this may lead to a significant pigmentation of the penis. Also applying a suction device repeatedly may cause the deposition of large amounts of iron and other hemoglobin degradation products in the tissue of the penis causing hemosiderosis, which ultimately results in fibrosis. Furthermore, erectile dysfunction may result from prolonged use of these devices.” Adams, Col. 2, line 44-Col. 3, line 15. Adams proposes a non-vacuum device to avoid these limitations.
Other patent applications have attempted to regulate vacuum traction devices to reduce the possibility of ischemia, pain; pallor (color change due to lack of blood flow); pulselessness, paresthesia (tingling when a limb “falls asleep”), paralysis and poikilothermia (failure to maintain temperature). A pressure control for pump devices are disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,782,621 to Harris in conjunction with vacuum devices for erectile dysfunction. U.S. Pat. No. 5,707,341 to Mathewuse discloses a cone shaped wrap to prevent swelling of the glans-penis in vacuum-type traction devices. U.S. Pat. No. 5,836,864 to Clark also addresses apparatus to limit swelling of the penis in vacuum traction devices. Notwithstanding the advances of these patents, limitations persist.